Method and apparatus for attaching an auxiliary aiming device to a semi-automatic pistol

Abstract

The original recoil spring rod or guide that is present on many semi-automatic pistols is removed and replaced with a new guide that differs from the original by having a means for affixing a mount to the new guide. In one embodiment the new guide has a threaded bore in the end that is exposed at the front of the pistol. Complementary threads are provided on a bolt or machine screw, and a structural mount is configured so that is may be rigidly affixed to the guide (and thusly affixed to the frame of the pistol) by the bolt or machine screw, etc. In another embodiment, the replacement guide is significantly longer than the original guide; and the extra length that protrudes out of the front of the pistol is given external threads. A nut with complementary threads is then used to rigidly fix a mount to the frame of the pistol. In another embodiment, a shallow circumferential groove is cut into the protruding end of a replacement guide, and a spring-biased detent is provided in the mount at a location where it will engage the groove and hold the mount securely on the pistol. The mount is configured in whatever way seems to be desirable in order to best support the particular sighting aid that is to be added to the pistol. The sighting aid may be a miniaturized laser or a small flashlight, etc. The new recoil spring guide may be permanently left with the pistol, while the sighting aid may be repeatedly installed and removed as needed.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An article of manufacture having utility in mounting an auxiliary aiming device on a semi-automatic pistol when the pistol is of the type having a recoil spring guide that has a fixed position which is adjacent and generally parallel to the pistol's barrel, and wherein the recoil spring guide has a portion that is exposed at the front of the pistol when the pistol is assembled for firing, comprising: a. a rigid body having the gereral configuration of the original O.E.M. recoil spring guide, said rigid body having a first end that is configured to engage a structural portion of the pistol for holding the recoil spring in an operative position, and said rigid body having a second end with a portion that is at least partially exposed when the rigid body is inserted in a pistol as a substitute for the original O.E.M. recoil spring guide;   b. a mounting bracket for supporting an auxiliary aiming device with respect to a pistol; and   c. means for connecting the mounting bracket to the rigid body.   
     
     
       2. The article as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for connecting the mounting bracket to the rigid body comprises a threaded means. 
     
     
       3. The article as claimed in claim 2 wherein the threaded means includes a threaded bore in the second end of the rigid body, and further including a complementary threaded member which is effective to rigidly secure the mounting bracket to the rigid body. 
     
     
       4. The article as claimed in claim 3 wherein the threaded bore is concentric with the longitudinal axis of the rigid body, said longitudinal axis extending from the first end to the second end of the rigid body, and the complementary threaded member has a length of at least one-forth inch and 10-32 external threads. 
     
     
       5. The article as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for fixedly connecting the mounting bracket to the rigid body is repeatedly connectable to and removable from the pistol by manipulation of a single element, after the rigid body has been installed in a pistol. 
     
     
       6. The article as claimed in claim 5 wherein the single element that is manipulated to connect and remove a mounting bracket is a wrench, whereby the mounting bracket may be manually installed onto and removed from a pistol by use of a single wrench. 
     
     
       7. The article as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for connecting the mounting bracket to the rigid body includes a cantilevered element that extends outwardly from the second end of the rigid body and beyond the original profile of the pistol. 
     
     
       8. The article as claimed in claim 7 wherein the cantilevered element extends in a direction that is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body, said longitudinal axis extending symmetrically of the body and between its first and second ends. 
     
     
       9. The method of mounting an auxiliary aiming device onto a semi-automatic pistol of the type having a recoil spring and a guide that secures the recoil spring with respect to the pistol's frame, and said guide having a first end that is secured to the frame interiorly of the pistol, and said guide having a second end that is exposed near the front of the pistol, comprising the steps of: a. removing the original O.E.M. recoil spring guide from the pistol and substituting therefor a rigid body having the general shape and approximate size of the O.E.M. recoil spring guide, said rigid body having a first portion that is adapted to fit internally of the pistol and interact with the pistol's frame to establish a fixed platform for supporting the recoil spring, and said rigid body having a second portion that is at least partially exposed near the front of the pistol when the rigid body is installed in a pistol; and   b. attaching a mount for an auxiliary aiming device to the second portion of the body.   
     
     
       10. The method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the rigid body is substituted for the O.E.M. recoil spring guide and permanently left with the pistol as an integral part thereof, and wherein the mount for an auxiliary aiming device is repeatedly attached to the rigid body and then removed therefrom, depending upon varying requirements for the use of an auxiliary aiming device. 
     
     
       11. The method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the step of attaching a mount to the rigid body is achieved with threaded means. 
     
     
       12. The method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the step of attaching a mount to the rigid body is achieved by engaging a bore in one element with a protrusion that forms a rigid extension of the other element. 
     
     
       13. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the bore is provided in the rigid body, and the step of attaching the mount is achieved by inserting the protrusion into the bore, said protrusion extending rearwardly with respect to the auxiliary aiming aid that is being mounted on the pistol. 
     
     
       14. The method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the auxiliary aiming aid is a laser having a weight of not more than 3 ounces, and the auxiliary aiming device is attached to the pistol with a single threaded member that is tightened from the front of the pistol with a wrench.